"Some mental illnesses - especially clinical depression - have been portrayed as making you unique. Diseases like bipolar disorder (manic depression), while coming into the foreground of awareness, also is heavily associated with creativity and intelligence. It’s not nearly as “weird” as things like OCD or schizophrenia. Instead, it’s the creative artist’s vogue disease. There are many creative people and celebrities who have depression or are bipolar. They’re successful, witty, creative, and you want to be them. Naturally, you’ll gravitate toward what seems to make them interesting, their uniqueness. And that uniqueness is very well defined by depressive peculiarities.A study questioned 1,192 teenagers (yes, I am showing statistics) aged 12 to 17 and found that one in ten thought mental illnesses were “trendy” with half of those believing it made people ‘unique’. Some 16 per cent said celebrity sufferers had made mental conditions “fashionable”.The top five faked problems were: eating disorders (22%), self harming (17%), addiction (13%), depression (12%) and bipolar disorder (9%).What teenagers (sorry about this tacky generalisation) today don’t realise is that by faking it (and making dark blogs about it… I mean seriously?), you are promoting it. You are saying “Yes, cut your flesh! Bleed into the sink! Kill yourself! It makes me a deeper and more interesting person! It makes me special!”."

I relate to this so much. I am Bipolar and I would go anything to give it up. It is in no way 'trendy' or 'fun'. You feel like your're on a roller coaster and you cannot control your emotions and you just want to curl up in a ball sometimes. I remember someone telling me I was lucky to be different and have a different disorder. I've seen so many blogs that talk about self harm and eating disorders. There are just some twats out there that think you acquire an eating disorder from not eating. They do not think that maybe it is a generic disease caused from depression. Why would someone want to openly admit that they have a disorder though? What I really can not fathom though is that they promote these disorders such as the ones you said but not others such as dyslexia or down syndrome? Because those are not 'hip' or 'cool'. It's sad that someone could go to making up a disorder to get more attention. They clearly just want to play the victim against the world.

As a teenager, I see what you're talking about just about every day. People think addiction is so great and that cutting yourself is all the rage. Two years ago, I was very, very depressed, which led to me harming myself. Not many people know that, and I guess by writing this, anyone will know now. But that's not the point. It wasn't something I was proud of or bragged about. So when I see people joke about self harm, it really gets on my nerves. Thanks for sharing this with us. It makes me happy to know that I'm not the only one who feels this irritation.

I agree with this 100%, and I'm glad you said something. People faking these diseases don't realize that those who actually suffer from them don't boast about it; they're ashamed of it. It bothers me immensely when I see people bragging about things like eating disorders or cutting, since I've suffered from both and do my best to hide it. Thanks again.

I know I have clinical depression, and I most likely have bipolar disorder and the quote "Diseases like bipolar disorder (manic depression), while coming into the foreground of awareness, also is heavily associated with creativity and intelligence." seriously just made my day, because I am both creative and intellegent and it makes me feel "special" in a good way.

I've thought about this portrayal before, but you always happen to be able to put many of my thoughts into words and artistic expressions, in ways that are very acute, very accurate, and in ways I have difficulty doing myself. I admire you for this.

While I agree with most of what you say in the description, people have to realize depression and bipolar issues are serious, ummm I talk about this to many people, but I had in past slept with a switch blade under my pillow in the past, and had really hard time sleeping, sometimes I was very much in depression, though I guess, but I started listening to I guess religious type music, and it helped me a lot, so yeah these things are not to be taken lightly.

I really enjoyed reading the description for this one. Especially the last few sentences. I am glad that someone your age has pointed out that people are promoting something so negative, yet so real to certain people. It is not cool or trendy..it is a real problem and hurts! I am always so thankful for your methods of photography. You bring a lot of good things to light and the "bad" things always ring true! So happy that you are still photographing and being photographed!!

I was just thinking exactly this earlier today because a guy I know had posted a status on facebook about how he self harms. I don't recall self-harm, depression, or any mental/personality disorder being glamorous. How that's even possible for some people to even believe, I don't know. But it's the mystery that makes people seem sexier. When really their just advertising anorexia and self harm to people who could have & can do so much better without. If tumblr was as successful as it was when I was 12, I probably would have jumped on the "stressed, depressed but well-dressed" band-wagon & using a self-diagnostic to intrigue people. And it's just so terrible that this is happening because the people who are really suffering from depression or eating disorders, don't get the support they need from other people & are praised for being "insane". They think their "cool" and never really plan on getting better.

The thing that makes me sick is that these people are making anyone who actually has a problem look fake. And they are making light, and making a joke, of issues that are actually quite serious. It means people who suffer from any kind of mental or addictive disorder are less likely to seek help for them because they'll be treated like they are also faking it.It is, it's sickening. And I don't feel special.

yes of course. it is a very serious topic, and I cannot deny that. yet so much of my work deals with the actual sort of disorders; depression, anorexia, etc. this had to be done because way too often it is mistaken still. not everything concerning one dark theme has to be as "serious" to bring a point across, I believe.

it is right where you are and your art costs talking about I do not know to be gentle with the disease I think I fight, thou hast translated, warn ... I do not know if you gotta guerrir as far as you are concerned? but it is not anything to be mentally ill, I understand that you were an artist manager, I am for quite some time, I love your style is fluid, I'm 40 I n 'not have the idea to invest and my art just became a dilétante skizo is like my old bitch ... I do not know if you would arrive scéance to cry, but I'd love to shoot full of tears I think ... I am sick since adolescence, my psychotic illness was found in my 25 years ago, I do not know if you can imagine how I would love to know me younger, I feel I have lost 13 years of my life being spent next to my mental illness ... I felt and still feel different and I cry regularly since childhood, the skizo has driven all my friends, I can not meet healthy people to support me or simply enjoy moments ... I want to talk to you since the beginning and tonight I dare because in fact it is not too ... Art has been my therapy, a exhutoire!

icing on the cake I also discovered that I was gay ... then I have no choice but to try to be happy until the end of my days ...

thank you for bringing this up. as someone who's gone through more than one of the issues you discussed, it disgusts me that there's people so ignorant to think that things like this are "cool". No, wanting to die isn't cool. Having a self harming addicition isn't cool. Things like this ruin your life and make you someone you don't even know anymore...As someone speaking from personal experience, it's one of the hardest things to get past once you've started thinking about it/doing it. just...ugh. people.

I think some people that are truely depressed make up other illnesses for themselves (addiction, eating disorder, insomnia, ect) because they don't understand why they are so lost and depressed. Their fake illness makes them feel like the know whats wrong with them. I guess some people are just fakes all around to be cool, but I think depressed people fake illnesses for different reasons.

All those who think depression and bipolar or even psychoses are "cool", are complete and utter idiots and should be either be prohibited from getting kids or suffer through a 15-day simulation of such disorders. None of those disorders are fun to experience :/

This is such an interesting and important concept and it's good that someone is speaking up about it. More teenagers need to realise that mental illness is not 'trendy' and sadly kills many young people each year.

I love this idea and I think you conveyed it well. Something I was not entirely aware of - but certainly clarifies and gives me a better understanding of certain aspects in my own life with some people that I know. Thank you and as always, look forward to more of your work~

thank you for your words, I appreciate it.though, and even though I value the fact you gave a point of critique, the smooth colors were intentional as it was inspired by the "soft grunge" kind of look that is so popular on websites such as tumblr; within the photo I tried to mimic a bit of where this topic is happening, which is on blogging websites. therefore darker colors, clearer colors or something alike would have fit as well, yet didn't really point onto anything if you know what I mean.

Hi,I understand yours arguments just ready, but I do not see what thême so light, you are certainly in the soft grunge, but I was thinking the weight of suffering that finally does not appear at all on the image ... this is just my opinion ... I suffer myself to skyzophrenie and I agree with your message, say I wanted to see more intensity ... IMHO ... it is communicative in form but not actually represented in the background ... this is just my idea ... Have a good week.Best Regards

I completely see what you mean, and of course I agree; but as I wrote you on the other comment as well, some of my work actually portrays such kind of disorders, and I do not want to constantly rotate around the same kind of thing, but see it differently. this one is just another take on the theme, I guess I didn't want to involve the "too serious" side of it because that is not what the picture is about; the picture itself doesn't even understand depression. the picture itself thinks having a disorder is cool, so why should it be serious?

probably becaufe the world trivializes too much and I do not like the light, I am a psycho lol I love when this pessimistic score more this is just my personal taste ... but even if the message is too soft it's banal and suddenly it bothers me because it informs concerned but not involved, then there is this theme of emergencies on the disease of the modern world ... I personally would love to hear screaming all people who suffer ... for me when it hurts it must be strong, but I understand the process quite soft grunge and I've even said it was successful ... I linké on my facebook to tell you this theme keeps me too seriously because it probably hurts.